Network Working Group K. Zeilenga, Ed.
Request for Comments: 4510 OpenLDAP Foundation
Obsoletes: 2251, 2252, 2253, 2254, 2255, June 2006
2256, 2829, 2830, 3377, 3771
Category: Standards Track
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP):
Technical Specification Road Map
Status of This Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).
Abstract
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an Internet
protocol for accessing distributed directory services that act in
accordance with X.500 data and service models. This document
provides a road map of the LDAP Technical Specification.
1. The LDAP Technical Specification
The technical specification detailing version 3 of the Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), an Internet Protocol, consists of
this document and the following documents:
LDAP: The Protocol [RFC4511]
LDAP: Directory Information Models [RFC4512]
LDAP: Authentication Methods and Security Mechanisms [RFC4513]
LDAP: String Representation of Distinguished Names [RFC4514]
LDAP: String Representation of Search Filters [RFC4515]
LDAP: Uniform Resource Locator [RFC4516]
LDAP: Syntaxes and Matching Rules [RFC4517]
LDAP: Internationalized String Preparation [RFC4518]
LDAP: Schema for User Applications [RFC4519]
Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 1]RFC 4510 LDAP: TS Road Map June 2006
The terms "LDAP" and "LDAPv3" are commonly used to refer informally
to the protocol specified by this technical specification. The LDAP
suite, as defined here, should be formally identified in other
documents by a normative reference to this document.
LDAP is an extensible protocol. Extensions to LDAP may be specified
in other documents. Nomenclature denoting such combinations of
LDAP-plus-extensions is not defined by this document but may be
defined in some future document(s). Extensions are expected to be
truly optional. Considerations for the LDAP extensions described in
BCP 118, RFC 4521 [RFC4521] fully apply to this revision of the LDAP
Technical Specification.
IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) considerations for LDAP
described in BCP 64, RFC 4520 [RFC4520] apply fully to this revision
of the LDAP technical specification.
1.1. Conventions
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119].
2. Relationship to X.500
This technical specification defines LDAP in terms of [X.500] as an
X.500 access mechanism. An LDAP server MUST act in accordance with
the X.500 (1993) series of International Telecommunication Union -
Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T) Recommendations when
providing the service. However, it is not required that an LDAP
server make use of any X.500 protocols in providing this service.
For example, LDAP can be mapped onto any other directory system so
long as the X.500 data and service models [X.501][X.511], as used in
LDAP, are not violated in the LDAP interface.
This technical specification explicitly incorporates portions of
X.500(93). Later revisions of X.500 do not automatically apply to
this technical specification.
3. Relationship to Obsolete Specifications
This technical specification, as defined in Section 1, obsoletes
entirely the previously defined LDAP technical specification defined
in RFC 3377 (and consisting of RFCs 2251-2256, 2829, 2830, 3771, and
3377 itself). The technical specification was significantly
reorganized.
Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 2]RFC 4510 LDAP: TS Road Map June 2006
This document replaces RFC 3377 as well as Section 3.3 of RFC 2251.
[RFC4512] replaces portions of RFC 2251, RFC 2252, and RFC 2256.
[RFC4511] replaces the majority RFC 2251, portions of RFC 2252, and
all of RFC 3771. [RFC4513] replaces RFC 2829, RFC 2830, and portions
of RFC 2251. [RFC4517] replaces the majority of RFC 2252 and
portions of RFC 2256. [RFC4519] replaces the majority of RFC 2256.
[RFC4514] replaces RFC 2253. [RFC4515] replaces RFC 2254. [RFC4516]
replaces RFC 2255.
[RFC4518] is new to this revision of the LDAP technical
specification.